Latasha Lattimore (25 points, 10 rebounds) leads UM women to 81-46 home win over BU

University of Miami sophomore forward Latasha “Tasha” Lattimore, who transferred from the University of Texas in June, showed on Sunday why she was one of the nation’s most coveted recruits a few years ago.

She scored a game-high and career-high 25 points and had 10 rebounds in the Hurricanes’ 81-46 home win over Boston University. It was the second double-double of her career.

Most of her points came in the paint, where Miami dominated 40-20, but Lattimore also showed she can shoot from distance with a silky three-pointer.

“We were hyped, I was feeling good from shoot around and just fed off my team’s energy,” she said.

The Hurricanes dominated from start to finish, led 40-21 at halftime, and went on a 20-0 third-quarter run. Graduate student Destiny Harden had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Freshman Lazaria Spearman added 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Cavinder twins, Haley and Hanna, continued to have an impact in their first season since transferring from Fresno State. Haley hit three threes for nine points and had five rebounds and five assists. Hanna added five points and five assists.

UM improved to 3-0 and has scored 80-plus in every game. Their 23 assists were the most since they had 26 against Alabama in 2018.

Lattimore said she finally feels she is in the right place. She fielded over 100 offers coming out of Royal Crown Academy, including Baylor, California, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, and UCLA.

Originally a Syracuse commit, she decommitted when then-coach Quentin Hillsman resigned amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. She ended up at Texas, where she averaged 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds for a Longhorns team that reached the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I left Texas because I wanted a new atmosphere, I came here and now words can’t explain how I feel,” Lattimore said. “This is like a new family. The coaches here were real with me. They didn’t sugarcoat anything, throw gear at me, or make promises. They let me know nothing is given to you here, you have to earn your minutes. I knew I would get better here.”

The Hurricanes are back home Wednesday at 6 p.m. against FAU. Coach Katie Meier is scheduled to return to the sideline after serving a three-game suspension imposed by UM while the school cooperates with an NCAA enforcement matter.